Highway guard



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 QN 0am m kfw. M

sg?, W

M. J. GlLL HIGHWAY GUARD Filed July 18, 1939 Jan. 16, 1940.

Jan. 16, 1940,

M. J. GILL 2,187,556

HIGHWAY GUARD Filed July 18, 1939 2 SheelZS-Sheell 2 INVENTOR ATTO R NEYS Patented Jan. 16, 1940 UNITED STATES,

PATENT OFFICE Theinvention relates to'highway guards and'` moreparticularly to protective means for the sides of highways.

The primary `object of the invention is the provision of a guard ofthisv character wherein dangerous sidings `to a roadway will be renderedsafe, avoiding motorfor'o-tlfier traflic from leaving the roadway,possibly resulting in the loss of life; orinjuryto the"person and damageto propl0 erty and at the same time minimizing the possibility ofdisruption of the guard due to impact of the vehicle therewith when thelatter swerves from a straight course along the roadway.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a guard of thischaracter wherein it possesses yieldability, shock absorption and isdevoid of protruding portions so that a vehicle will not becomeentangled therewith or damaged thereby when making Contact and resultantin safety guarding life and property.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a guard of thischaracter wherein road accidents will be reduced to a minimum and safetraffic over a highway assured.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a guard of thischaracter which is simple in its construction, thoroughly reliable andeficient in operation, economic for erection, strong, durable, andinexpensive to manufacture and install.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in thefeatures of construction, combination and arrangement of parts as willbe hereinafter more fully described in detail, il-

lustrated in the accompanying drawings, which disclose the preferredembodiment of the inveny *tion and pointed outin the claims hereuntoappended.

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary perspective view of a highway guardconstructed in accordance with `the invention being partly broken away.

Figure 2 is a vertical transverse sectional view thereof.

Figure 3 is a `horizontal sectional View through one of the guard posts.

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectional view through an overlapped joint ofthe guard.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on the line 5 5 of Figure2.

[Similar reference characters indicate corre- `spending parts throughoutthe several Views in the drawings.

Referring to the drawings in detail, A designates generally a portion ofa roadway being constructed from cemen'titious orconcr`te ma! terialwhile extending laterally l with respect' to the roadway'at a selectedside thereof arespaced' extensions Ii made from" the same' material asthe roadway and are-imbeddedin `soft shoulders 5^ II` of conventionalform. These extensions III may belintegral'with the body vvof theroadway or separate therefrom.

Rising vertically from" the outermost ends of the extensions I0 areposts I2, these being made 10 from the same material as the saidextensions and body of the roadway and have imbedded therein the shanksof eye bolts I3, the Shanks being provided with nuts I4 for thefastening of the eye members within the posts I2 with the 15 eyesthereof projecting from the side faces of these posts toward the roadwayA and trained through the eyes of these eye members I3 are steel wirecables I5, these being extended in spaced parallel relation to eachother longitudi- 20 nally of the roadway and are held in a tautcondition in any desirable manner for functioning as guard cables.

Partially imbedded in the extensions III and posts I2 are racks eachformed from a single 25 length of stiif but inherently resilient wirebent into a substantially L-frame I6, being upright and carried adistance above the uppermost portion of the companion post I2 where thesaid frame has provided therein a coil I1 for an arm 30 I8 which at itsfree end is provided with a hook I9.I engageable with a `coil 20 formedfrom a horizontal limb 2I of this frame I6. This limb 2| is imbedded notonly in the extension I0 but also in the roadway body A, the coil 2Obeing also 35 imbedded in the said extension IIJ. The coils II and 2Dallow a determined yieldability to the arm I8 resultant from impact froma vehicle when striking the guard before andhereinafter described. 40

Carried upon the arms I8 of the frames IB are guard or shield plates 22,these being overlapped at ends adjacent each other and passed throughthe overlaps 23 are clamping hooks 24 which engage the arms I8 and inthis manner the plates 45 22 are joined with the arms I8 of the framesI6. The plates 22 in their overlapped relationship have longitudinallyoutstruck therefrom in the direction of the roadway a protruding rib 25being disposed closer to the bottom edges than to the 50 top edges ofthe said plates and this rib strengthens or reinforces these plates towithstand impacts with vehicular traffic when a vehicle leaves theroadway or swerves into the highway guard.

The arms I8 through the coils I1 and 20 cushion 55 the plates 22 andfunction as shock absorbers built into the guard.

The plates 25 are disposed spaced from the cables I5 and the angulardisposition of the arms I8 to the vertical hold these plates 22 in alateral sloping arrangement. A vehicle lost of control strikes theplates 22 which through the build of the guard absorbs the impact of thevehicle and avoids the possibility of such vehicle running oi of theroadway A and in this manner saving life and eliminating damage toproperty,

What is claimed is:

1. A highway guard comprising posts arranged perpendicular at a side ofa roadway, extensions from saidl roadway and supporting said posts,substantially L-shaped frames partially imbedded vertically in the postsand said extensions and having upper and lower coils, arms formed withsaid frames and a part of ione coil and hooked with the other coil ofeach frame, and shield plates supported by said arms.

2. A highway guard comprising posts arranged `perpendicular at a side ofa roadway, extensions' from `said roadway and supporting said posts,substantially L-shaped frames partially imbedded vertically in the postsand said extensions and having upper and lower coils, arms formed withsaid frames and a part of one coil and hooked with the other coil ofeach frame, shield plates supported by said arms, and guard cablesfastened to said posts rearwardly of the shield plates.

3. A highway guard comprising posts arranged perpendicular at a side ofa roadway, extensions from said roadway and supporting said posts,substantially L-shaped frames partially imbedded vertically in the postsand said extensions and having upper and lower coils, arms formed withsaid frames and a part of one coil and hooked with the other coil ofeach frame, shield plates supported by said arms, guard cables fastenedto said posts rearwardly of the lshieldplates, and clamping hooksconnecting the said plates to the arms.

4. A highway guard comprising posts arranged perpendicular at a side ofa roadway, extensions from said roadway and supporting said posts,substantially L-shaped frames partially imbedded vertically in the postsand said extensions and having upper and lower coils, arms formed withsaid frames and a part of one coil and hooked with the other coil ofeach frame, shield plates supported by said arms, guard cables fastenedto said posts rearwardly of the shield plates, and

clamping hooks connecting the said plates to the arms, the plates havingends adjacent each other disposed overlapping one another.

MICHAEL J. GILL.

